Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam Rita today said the government is working to reduce airfares for Bangladeshi expatriates, particularly on UK routes, alongside ensuring uninterrupted operation of the resumed Dhaka-Sylhet-Manchester service.

The minister made the remarks while welcoming passengers of Biman Bangladesh Airlines' resumed direct Dhaka-Sylhet-Manchester flight at MAG Osmani International Airport.

A Biman flight (BG-208), carrying 268 passengers from Manchester, landed at the airport at around 11:30am. Of them, 227 passengers disembarked in Sylhet while the remaining 41 travelled onward to Dhaka.

Commerce, Industries, Jute and Textiles Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir, Prime Minister's Adviser Humayun Kabir and senior officials of the civil aviation sector were present to receive the passengers.

Addressing a press conference at the airport, Afroza said the direct Manchester service was resumed under the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to fulfil a long-standing demand of Bangladeshi expatriates, particularly the Sylheti community in the United Kingdom.

"Today's flight has arrived here under the instruction of the Prime Minister. He has a special soft corner for the people of Sylhet, and we are also working with that same commitment," she said.

The minister said the service would continue uninterrupted and the government would ensure more reliable and passenger-friendly operations.

"The resumption of this route has been given the highest priority to ease the long-standing suffering of expatriates and ensure they can travel comfortably and in a cost-effective manner. The present government is committed to improving the quality of services and ensuring greater facilities for expatriates," she said.

Responding to a question regarding the wide airfare gap between Heathrow-Sylhet and Heathrow-Dhaka services, the minister said the government had already started working to make fares more affordable.

"I heard this concern during my visit to London as well. We are working on it. We are particularly looking at whether fares can be reduced further by giving greater priority to our remittance warriors," she said.

Afroza said the process of leasing additional aircraft was already underway to ensure uninterrupted operations on the Manchester route and eliminate the possibility of future suspension.

Replying to another question, she said efforts were also underway to resume the suspended Sylhet-Cox's Bazar route at the earliest following discussions with the commerce minister.

The aviation minister said work was progressing to upgrade Osmani International Airport into a full-fledged international airport.

"Once the development work is completed, many foreign airlines will be able to operate direct flights to Sylhet. We also want to transform Sylhet into a full-fledged tourism hub," she added.

Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir said the government was working to develop Sylhet as one of the country's major tourism hubs through improved connectivity and tourism infrastructure.

Prime Minister's Adviser Humayun Kabir expressed hope that the ongoing expansion of Osmani International Airport would be completed soon, enabling the airport to attract greater international attention.

The Dhaka-Sylhet-Manchester route had remained suspended for nearly four months due to aircraft shortages during the Hajj season. 

The suspension prompted sustained demands from expatriate Bangladeshis in the UK, particularly the Sylheti community, for restoration of the direct service.

The government had earlier assured expatriates that the profitable route would resume after the Hajj season. 

Following the formation of the new government, the service has now been restored, providing significant relief to thousands of passengers, especially elderly expatriates who previously had to travel via Dhaka to reach Sylhet.

Initially, Biman will operate two weekly flights on the route every Tuesday and Saturday using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fleet.